I was out on the Forest the other day when I stumbled across some ponies bolting across the open land with the last of the purple heather around them. Camera set up for ICM, I grabbed it. Fingers shaking with frustration to quickly reset it, cursing myself as the dials seem to move so slowly when you’re in a hurry…
I was wired, not stressed, as in afraid, but excited… and what happens?
The brain launches the same action to “help” as it does when you’re scared. It floods the body with cortisol and adrenaline which puts up the heart rate, breathing, the muscles are now ‘wired’ and ready for action… Fingers shaking, focus scattered, vision, breathing, muscles, everything physiologically acting in the opposite way of what I needed in that moment…
How annoying…
Here’s the little practice I nearly forgot in that moment that interrupts your brain at this moment…
- Feel your feet.
- Wiggle your toes.
- And ask yourself – what does the ground feel like under my feet?
Sounds nuts? Okay, here’s the science bit.
These three actions interrupt the brain launching a sympathetic nervous system response — the system that releases the adrenaline and cortisol.
It’s just as useful if you’re like me and you’re doing ICM, maybe out wandering and you stumble into a scene and feel an urge to start click click click and it’s all going wrong and you’re feeling frustrated. Same thing, you can get a sympathetic response to that and it’s the opposite of what helps.
Anytime I arrive somewhere and feel that urge to start clicking like crazy or I’m rushing because a ‘moment’ is about to escape me…
Feel the feet
Wiggle the toes
What does the ground feel like…
You don’t have to stop. I was standing with ponies galloping past me, twiddling the dials on the Fuji to reset it and simultaneously wiggling my toes… the mental action of doing all that is enough to interrupt that cycle… and bring you back to the calm focus you need.
And yes, I did capture some ‘moments’….
